Kolkata has a club for people with negative blood group

olkata, Oct.30 (ANI): A non-government organisation (NGO) in Kolkata has opened a club for people with negative blood group.

The NGO named Medical Bank has opened “Negative Blood Group Club” to help in emergency, as it turns a crisis during medical emergency.

On an average, one in every 4,000 people has AB negative blood group. The ratio of A, B or O negative blood is 1:1000.

This rare accessibility leaves the needy facing horrendous times in emergencies. The club’s aim is to overcome this crisis, said Sutapa Chakraborty, a member.

The RH negative blood group is rare and the difficulty in procuring negative blood in times of emergencies, prompted Medical Bank to start an association of negative blood carriers on June 14 (International Voluntary Blood Donors’ Day), 2007.

“There is always a crisis of negative blood groups be it A-, B-, AB- or O-. To find negative blood groups is tricky and those who need it realise the difficulty involved in locating it,” said D. Ashish, Director, Medical Bank.

“To overcome this crisis, the members of Medical Bank have decided to open a club of negative blood group members. We have at least 200 members and the members donate blood to each other during need,” Ashish added.

“If a member requires blood, he or she can contact either D. Ashish or me. We coordinate with the other members of club and ensure that the needy member gets the required blood group,” said Amit Chakraborty, Administrator, Life Care Blood Bank.

Till date, 200 individuals have registered themselves as members of the “Negative Blood Group Club”. Members of the club campaign in various districts to collect negative blood.

“I suffered a crisis for negative blood group. When I was delivering my child, the doctors realised that I have a negative blood group and to find matching blood for me posed a terrible challenge,” said Sutapa Chakraborty, a member of the club.

“When I heard of this club I readily decided to join it. This gives us a sense of security. The members are like a family and we know we are there for each other,” Sutapa added.

For membership, the Negative Blood Group Club offers information at 033-25540084 and 09831062157. (ANI)